In July, 2016, the number of concealed carry permits in the United States was over 14.5 million and was growing rapidly during the election year. It’s now over 15 million, and likely to go much higher. Starting with numbers from the Crime Prevention Research Center, there have been increases in all states where numbers were available. The dozen states listed below show actual figures and the increase from the numbers cited earlier in the CPRC study.

Arizona 272,622 to 315,107 as of May 18, 2017, an increase of  42,485.

Florida 1,581,742 to 1,755,580 as of April 30, 2017, an increase of 173,838.

Indiana 728,976, to 799,546 as of March 31, 2017, an increase of 70,570.

Michigan 556,136 to 613,387 as of May 1, 2017, an increase of 57,251.

Massachusetts 360,263 to 412,369 as of Dec, 2016, an increase of  52,106.

Ohio 549,730 to 574,000 as of September 30th an increase of 24,270. It was a record year for Ohio and many states.

Louisiana 154,707 to 173,881 as of 31 December, 2016, an increase of 19,174.

Minnesota 221,712 to 265,728 as of 1 March, 2017, an increase of 44,016.

South Carolina 276,084 to 308,406 as of December 31, 2016, an increase of 32,322.

Tennessee  560,933 to 592,517 as of 1 May, 2017, an increase of 31,584.

Texas 1,052,073 to 1,150,754 as of 31 December, 2016, an increase of 98,681.

Wisconsin 300,000 to 321,200 as of 7 January, 2017, an increase of 21,200.

That’s an increase of  624,625 permits for only those dozen states. And that puts the number of carry permits over 15 million nationally.

The rate of increase in Americans with canceled carry permits continues to grow as reforms of the permitting process make acquisition easier. Texas is in the process of reducing its permit fees from $140, to $40, for example. A modest counter current to the trend exists in the increase in constitutional carry states (where citizens no longer need to go through the permitting process in order to carry legally) .

Still, the reduction in the pace of permits issued in constitutional carry states is usually temporary. In Arizona, there had been 156,000 permits issued by 2010 when Arizona joined the Constitutional Carry club. Today Arizona has over 315,00 permits, more than double what it had when constitutional carry was enacted.

With over 15 million carry permits nationwide, and 13 constitutional carry states, the movement to restore the unfettered exercise of Second Amendment rights continues on a fast track.

©2017 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch

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111 COMMENTS

    • Indeed. Many of us historical-permit-holders have since relocated to free states where we don’t need permits anymore….?

      Buh-bye, Virginia!……….hello Maine!

      • Same here, I open carried past a cop today and he didn’t even take a second glance. So nice. In R.I. they would have called SWAT.

      • The day is here when Virginia is no longer regarded as “free.” And the home of the NRA, no less. Sigh.

        • At this point I wish D.C. Would just annex northern VA. very few of the people that live there are originally from VA and they brought their left leaning ideals with them. It’s a traffic riddled hell hole

        • Tile Floor, I agree with you 100%. If it wasn’t for Northern Virginia counties like Arlington and Fairfax, we would’t be stuck with Liberal losers like McAuliffe as governor and Kaine as a senator.

  3. Well I’m working on mine in the pain in the azz state of ILLinnoyed. I know CCL is growing by leaps & bounds despite all the naysayers. Shall issue is a good thing…

    • Brother, just turn your back on those a$$holes and leave. There’s nothing worth having in Illinois. It’s the ash-heap of formerly free people.

    • If there is any good news about the convoluted Illinois licensing process it is that the state has sped up a bit on processing time. I got mine last October but took the class in August. My buddy who took the class with me did the fingerprint submission and received it maybe 2 days before I did. There may have been a time the fingerprints sped things up but now it seems it is about 60 days give or take no matter what, which sadly is way better then it was a couple years ago. My wife just submitted her paperwork, we’ll see how long hers takes.

    • You need to leave Illinois for other reasons. The dam is going to break on all those underfunded Illinois government pensions in the next few years.

  4. Gotta update that blue NH. We’re freeeeeeeeeeeee bitches!!!!!!!!!!
    Well, at least in this specific regard.

  6. Nationally, excluding Constitutional Carry free states, that’s like 5 percent of all Americans. Including free states, considerably higher.

    A *minimum* of one in 20 Americans could be walking around with loaded guns on them.

    I’ve been Googling like crazy, and I’m not finding anywhere where law-abiding Americans carrying firearms are turning streets into rivers of blood.

    That’s a real chin-scratcher. What could I be missing?

    • Remember: over 25% of the population is under 21 and can’t buy a handgun (THANKS FOR ONE THAT NRA! Endorsing Johnson’s “moderate” totalitarianism sure stopped gun control!)

      • “Remember: over 25% of the population is under 21 and can’t buy a handgun”

        Handguns can be purchased at 18 years old via PRIVATE sale in most states. In Maine you can get a concealed carry permit at 18.

        The “dirty little secret” of Bloomberg’s UBC proposals is the stealthy handgun ban for 18-20 year olds — since all UBC gun transfers must go through an FFL (who are barred by Federal law form selling a handgun to anyone under 21).

        We relentlessly pointed this out during the 2016 Maine Bloomberg UBC referendum to help defeat it.

        • Yes (and for Florida, Arizona and Texas I can’t find anything prohibiting sales to outright minors, at most requiring parental permission), but the NRA still royally screwed aspiring gun overs over.

  7. I live in a blue area, but it’s close to being green. Open carry is legal and Constitutional Carry is being worked on. Hopefully that will happen before my current CCH Permit is up for renewal. It’s not a huge amount to renew my CCH, but I would prefer to “not” have to pay anymore for something that the US Constitution guarantees is my inalienable right.

    • Constitutional carry just got tabled indefinitely in Minnesota. But I’m still keeping my permit if for no other reason than the Reciprocity it affords me in 21 other states. Ymmv.

  8. Add at least 11 today for New Mexico – time for my renewal, but the new folks outnumbered the nenewers by around 3:1.

    Unfortunate that NM is so expensive – around $150 (for the permit plus b/g check plus fingerprinting), plus whatever the class costs, usually aound $100-150. Plus two days of your time.

    On the bright side, everybody passed, most with 100% hits. And overall the NM laws are a little weird, but no worse than many and far better than some.

    • So, No one of consequence, you live in New Mexico.

      Any chance you live near Truth or Consequences?

  9. We don’t know how many permits are issued in Missouri. The Department of Revenue (driving records) could not be trusted with the information so individual county sheriff’s keep the records now. They sent two unencrypted cd’s of records WITHOUT A SUBPOENA in violation of our state law to the Social Security Administration so they could check to see if anyone one on disability had a CCW permit. No one was ever prosecuted (about a 175,000 misdemeanor counts) though we know who did it. s Oh well…

    • Why did the SSA want the data? Obviously the real reason was Obama, but what did they claim was their reason?

    • “Unfortunately, New Jersey will never become a “shall issue” state.”

      Oh, it just might happen.

      Kicking and screaming, of course. They will put up *any* bullshit impediment to the process like Chicago did if they think they can get away with it.

      And if Kennedy retires as he is rumored to do, it could happen within one year or so.

      If SCOTUS grants Peruta cert, the shrieks from the Left will be sweet, sweet music to freedom-lover’s ears throughout the land …

      • Geoff:
        Thanks for the words of encouragement. I sincerely hope you’re right.
        Readers of TTAG need to be aware that the Democrats in Trenton, NJ don’t believe its citizens have the right of self defense. Even defensive spray is prohibited!

    • Of course if NJ gets opened up, their asinine restrictions on hollowpoints and magazine capacity would probably still apply. I imagine soft lead projectiles and wheelguns would explode in popularity.

      • I wonder if the Lehigh Defense extreme penetrators would be legal in New Jersey as they are non expanding, solid copper projectiles.

  12. Hey update your facts. New Jersey should be RED NO ISSUE out of a population of 9 million there are less than 1,200 CCW permits. The state uses “justifiable need” to deny rights. And with a 9-1 anti gun vote the state won’t change anytime soon.

  13. Let’s not completely do away with the bails, here. What does 15 millions actually mean?

    US Census figures for 2014 indicated an adult (age 18 and over) population of around 246 millions. Presuming people under 18 years do not possess concealed carry permits, then we must compare 15 millions to 246 million (one cannot compare total owners of firearms to total adult population because the number of adults who own firearms is not knowable).

    One should think that 15 million know gun carriers implies some amount of deterrence to personal attack. The reason for that are the comments here about how criminals will be reluctant to attack an individual if the criminal fears the intended victim is armed. So, let us proceed.

    The ration of concealed carry permit holders represents an approximate 6% of the population (a figure that does not point to a looming majority of the population supporting unfettered gun possession; you remain in the significant, if not drastic, minority) . Again, based on comments here, there are allegedly 2 million defensive gun uses in a given year. For best case, let us fit all the defensive gun uses into the population of concealed carry permit holders. The result is 13%. Against the entire adult population, the result is .008 percent. Why are these numbers of interest?

    The numbers of concealed carry permits, and the number of defensive gun uses should present a formidable deterrence (at least as regards concealed gun permit holders) to further attacks. Do the statistics support that conclusion? One points to reduced overall crime, but there is no direct connection (cause and effect) identified in any reported studies.

    What do we have left? Presumable, increasing numbers of concealed gun carriers demonstrates some sort of positive trend for “gun rights”. Yet, the data do not endorse any conclusion that increased concealed carry numbers provide the desired personal outcome – reduction, or elimination, of the likelihood of attack on a person. Having more people walking about with guns is not proven mechanism for deterring attack. Yet, one would think that 2 million defensive gun uses per year would be a signal event that dissuades anyone of attacking another.

    Perhaps 175 millions of concealed gun carry permits would announce that the pro-gun element has finally become the majority, but 15 millions is beyond even a “giant step” in the direction of a majority. Regardless of the “numbers”, local governments and district attorneys are the center of power, and they grow increasing weary of the idea that a “sovereign citizen” should casually carry and hold “the most effective means of self-defense”. The world has turned a time or two since the frontier days. Do come along.

    • You are not taking Open Carriers into account. North Carolina, as well as a number of other States have Open Carry. There is not a day go by here in North Carolina that I do not see people Open Carrying. There are also a number of Constitutional Carry States that you do not take into account. They need “no” permit to carry, Open or Concealed. There are “a lot more” than 15 Million people in this country “legally” carrying firearms for self-defense. Do come along! ?

      • You are correct. Open carry people were not included because there is no number available for use, some open carriers are concealed carriers as well. Had to hold to the data available. If we should begin to speculate where no reliable data exists, we simply devolve to, “My speculation obliterates your speculation.”

        • Simply pointing out the undeniable facts. There are far, far more than 15 million people in this country legally carrying firearms for self defense purposes. I guarantee it’s far more than the average person would think it is. Although the actual number cannot be ascertained, I would be comfortable saying that the average person crosses the path of a legal firearms carrier (whether concealed or open) a dozen or more times every single day. They just don’t know it, and that’s the way it should stay. The more people that criminals “think” may be armed, the better. Even criminals do not want to die. The more often they have to consider that possibility coming to fruition, the more likely they are to think twice…..or thrice attacking someone, or invading their domicile.

          • Please accept my sincere decision not to engage today. Manchester is just one too many. Time to be quiet and reflect. Back at it again another day.

    • Reducing the likelihood of an attack isn’t what concealed carry is about. It’s about reducing the likelihood of a successfull attack.

      But you already knew that. You’re as prime example of the reason we’re winning and you guys are losing. You actually bekieve nobody sees thru your weasel words to the truth.

      Feel the bern, baby.

      • “Reducing the likelihood of an attack isn’t what concealed carry is about. It’s about reducing the likelihood of a successfull attack.”

        If one deters an attack, doesn’t that imply a successful attack is thus deterred? The line of thought I am posing is the number of concealed gun carriers is too small to be a “win” (as in tipping the balance to pro-gun advocates). The number of concealed guns is virtually irrelevant to “making the streets safer”. If the threat you suppose is not well informed, if the threat you suppose is not convinced that an attack is too risky because too many armed citizens walk about, then attacks will continue, will they not? Should the POTG not work toward toward diminishing the likelihood of attack as a larger win, for more people?

        “You actually bekieve nobody sees thru your weasel words to the truth.”

        Not sure of the intent of this declaratory statement. On the other hand, because one disagrees with the statements (words) of another does not brand statements as “weasel words”.

    • A few things you did not consider. Constitutional and open carry may very well double those numbers. But, if not, it still leaves 1 in 20 adults, and rising, that are eligible to carry. And finally, the overwhelming majority of defensive firearm usages occur in ones own home. That means most of them are probably occurring by legal, non permitted owners.

      • “Constitutional and open carry may very well double those numbers. ”

        Agree. But there is no way to know, thus, since the article was about how increasing numbers of concealed carry permits somehow heralds a winning trend for gun owners, only implications of concealed carry are on the table.

        “And finally, the overwhelming majority of defensive firearm usages occur in ones own home.”

        For which open or concealed carry is not a component. Again, such events are not considered, not proclaimed in the article as a measure of upward vector for gun owners. On a tangent, the number of gun owners in the US also does not indicate a victory path. The vast majority of legal gun owners seem not to put historical novelties in high regard when it comes to the most important issues of the day for them.

    • “Do the statistics support that conclusion? One points to reduced overall crime, but there is no direct connection (cause and effect) identified in any reported studies.”

      The statistics of a drastically lower ‘gun violence’ rate prove that drastically more lawfully armed citizens carrying drastically more firearms than 20 years back doesn’t *increase* ‘gun violence’.

      Tens of *millions* more new guns flooding ‘on the streets’ since 1990 and ‘gun violence’ is roughly one-half.

      Sure looks a whole lot like a nice *win* to me and society in general.

      Let’s now focus on mandating teaching young children to *never* touch a gun they may happen to come across and tell a responsible adult… 🙂

      • “The statistics of a drastically lower ‘gun violence’ rate prove that drastically more lawfully armed citizens carrying drastically more firearms than 20 years back doesn’t *increase* ‘gun violence’.”

        We may partially agree, here. One must consider, however, without a gun involved, those alleged 2 million defensive gun uses would naturally result in less gun violence. (Presuming that every defensive gun use resulted in shots fired, people injured). Then, turned around, one concludes that yes, more people with guns means more gun violence.

        • A dgu is not “gun violence”. It’s a lawful act of self defense. This is a perfect example of “weasel words”. But you already knew that.

          This is why we’re winning. Honesty doesn’t exist on the anti side. 2 and 2 never equal 5. But you guys keep insisting it does.

          Thank you. You’ve made victory that much easier for us. Feel the bern, baby.

          • Please accept my sincere decision not to engage today. Manchester is just one too many. Time to be quiet and reflect. Back at it again another day.

  14. Calling the People’s Demokratik State of Maryland a “may issue” is misnomer and a cruel joke at best.

  15. I do not need government’s permission for a right given to me by my Creator. Carrying a weapon, driving a car, building a house: my rights not privilege. Government has taken our rights away by the force of law and the sheeple just bow down and do government’s bidding.

  16. Present and accounted for!! Most states are seeing a 10% increase. Funny that Ohio set a record but was half that and Minnesota (my state) jumped an astonishing 20% but wasn’t a record. Keep calm and carry on.

  17. New Hampshire is now an state white out infrigment and nord dakota for residents !
    Indiana, South Carolina and Alabama have good chances to join the club next time 🙂

  18. Maryland should be yellow with red stripes on the map as it’s almost impossible to get a CCL there – worse than NJ. Even former police officers are NOT approved. You can only get a license there if your life is currently under threat and the threat is filed with an LE agency, as soon as the threat is over, the permit is revoked.

  19. This was an interesting note:

    “Massachusetts 360,263 to 412,369 as of Dec, 2016, an increase of 52,106.”

    And in the bluest of blue, the Bay State.

  20. If you’re winning too good, it’s a trap. We need to step it up to winning at ludicrous speed.

  21. I live in a blue state(on this map) and have a “unrestricted” carry permit.

  22. Well bye Vegas and Hello Idaho. Soon I hope, Vegas is one dangerous city. To many Kalifornians (liberals). Trying to make Nevada, Navada, just saying.

  23. NJ is not a may issue state, it is a no issue state. The way they get around the constitution is that you have the right to apply but will be denied unless you are a politician, judge, retired LEO or armed guard. Armed Guards are only allowed to carry at work and their gun must be unloaded after work for transport.
    NJ issued 1,400 permits last year in a state of 9,000,000. And the permits that were issued have to be done so after pleading your case to a judge. Even if the chief of police recommends your permit the judge will deny unless you can prove there is a current threat to your life. If you are lucky enough to get your permit it is only good for two years and if that threat is gone you can no longer have your permit. NJ also does not recognize any other states right to carry. We need nation reciprocity now!

      • If you don’t think that the 2nd Amendment and it’s tens of millions of supporters are winning the fight, “you” aren’t paying attention Snowflake. ?

          • Don’t know what Court cases you’re referring to, but once again…..you obviously have no idea just how much “winning” is going on in relation to the 2nd Amendment nationwide. Get educated on the subject, or you will just continue to look like a rube. BTW….if you are referring to Kommiefornia…..not a good example. Kommiefornia (and perhaps NY/NJ) will “never” be the “standard” on what’s going on with the 2nd Amendment in this country. They are liberal enigmas unto themselves and do not reflect the feelings of the United States as a whole. Just like they couldn’t ensure who they wanted to be POTUS became POTUS, they will never control the nation on the 2nd Amendment as a whole. “2nd Amendment = Winning”

            • Perhaps you did not read about the Michigan ruling just, what, yesterday? Universities established by and in the state constitution are co-equal with the legislature, thereby having authority to ban guns on campus despite state law to the contrary. Winning? Guns successfully banned on university campus is a strange victory for “gun rights”.

              • ????????….. Who cares about Michigan’s progressive egg hatcheries! Sorry….another really bad example. States are putting Constitutional Carry laws in place left and right. “That” is the kind of thing that really matters. Nice try, but……well no…..not even a nice try. BTW…..I never give uneducated 2nd Amendment anti’s more than three replies of my valuable time…..so….. Buh Bye! ?

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